I forget about my watch; I can’t help smiling. Underwater, I can do it! Maybe I can even save myself at the lake if I ever jump off a pier again. “Woohoo!” I fist-bump with Morgan.

We’re making too much noise, though, because the wrinkled apple-doll face pokes out of the upstairs window next door.

“That dog shouldn’t be in the pool. He’s going to tear the liner,” she crabs down at us.

“Yeah, well, the pool is cement. So no worries,” Morgan answers back.

“I’m going to call the police.” The old lady’s head tucks back into the house, like a turtle head sucked back into its shell.

“You do that,” Morgan calls to her. “We’re leaving anyway.”

18

Tuesday, June 29:

Using Up Our Good Luck

Morgan takes her time, but I scramble out of the pool quickly, anxious to get out of there.

“So what do you want to do now?” she asks. “Wanna come to my house?”

“Rouww, rouww, rouww!” I want to come.

“That’s okay, Diesel. You’re invited.” Morgan scratches behind his ear. “Our family misses King a lot since we had to put him down.”

Can she hear Diesel’s thoughts, too, now?

My bathing suit is wet, but I just throw my clothes over it ’cause I’m in a hurry. Who knows if that woman has actually called the police? “Let’s hang out at my aunt’s so Luanne can have her nap in her own crib.”

Morgan stands up and Diesel leaps to his paws. I tuck Luanne into her stroller.

Once we’re out of the yard, I feel a lot better.

At Aunt Cathie’s we sit down for lunch and Baby Luanne nods off in the middle of her crackers and cheese. The bigger miracle is that as I carry her to her crib and for the long drop down to the mattress, she stays asleep. When I check Aunt Cathie’s cupboard, I find a supply of popcorn.

Warm, crunchy things! Diesel wags like crazy.

Turns out my aunt also has a copy of Wonder Woman and we get to watch the whole movie without a peep out of Luanne.

Even more miraculous, Aunt Cathie comes home early and pays me for two weeks of babysitting. Must have something to do with Mom sharing the rent next month. That for sure didn’t happen on the last Tuesday through. Now I can replace the money I withdrew from the bank, with interest!

But are we using up all our luck? Something prickles at the back of my neck. Can we make it last past that four thirty time slot in two days? As we leave my aunt’s house together, Morgan grabs Diesel’s leash. Standing on the sidewalk, I hesitate. Diesel sits at attention, one ear up.

“So now I just need to go home for some things. Do you want to come in and wait for my mom to see if she brought anything for the party?”

Morgan grins. “Yeah, that would be good. Hope she got us some of those sour-cream-glazed bits.”